IBM Unveils Web Appliance Software
IBM today unveiled its WebSphere Transcoding Publisher to move Web content to Internet appliances by translating text and images to a readable format.
The software customizes content to match the capabilities of the receiving device, which means applications do not have to be rewritten, the company said. "It is device-sensitive in terms of bringing text and images down to the device in the right format," Jamie Thomas, IBM's director of host integration solutions, told Newsbytes.
The WebSphere Transcoding Publisher accommodates users of smart phones, car browsers and personal digital assistants (PDAs) and is based on open industry standards, making it available for AIX, Linux, Solaris, Windows NT and Windows 2000 operating systems.
The software converts data and applications written in HTML and XML to other formats such as Wireless Markup Language (WML) and translates graphics to a format that can be viewed on a handheld device or convert the graphic to a hyperlink.
It will be available March 31 through the standard IBM ordering system, Thomas said. IBM is testing the technology in a real-time, interactive program for Sabre Inc. and Nokia which enables travelers to initiate flight changes and receive updates from airlines via wireless phone.
Ed Harbour, director of IBM Software Group connected e-business marketing, said, "WebSphere Transcoding Publisher makes it possible to take today's Web content - which has largely been designed for PCs - and deliver it in a format appropriate for a variety of devices."
The company points to Gartner Group projections that between 2003 and 2005, which say that more than 1billion mobile phones will be in use worldwide and that by 2004. Some 70 percent of new cellular phones and 80 percent of new PDAs will feature some form of access to the Internet, according to those projections.
More information on IBM's WebSphere Transcoding Publisher can be found at http://www-4.ibm.com/software/webservers/transcoding.
Reported by Newsbytes.com, http://www.newsbytes.com.